NICOLA Sturgeon's government published a scathing report on the European Union - calling for major reform and blasting the Brussels club as "intrusive and lacking legitimacy”.

The caustic 20-page diktat, published just two years ago, throws doubt over Scotland's hopes for easy accession into the bloc in the event of independence.

And in an indication of the power-hungry antics of Ms Sturgeon's SNP-led government, the report claims that the country hoped to exert "as much influence as possible over the future direction of the EU”.

The jaw dropping admissions, contained in the bold report published months before the Scottish independence referendum, set out a 29 point action plan for Brussels to implement.

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Ms Sturgeon's government published a truly scathing report on the EU now she wants to join it

The fact remains that the panoply of rules and regulations produced by the EU continues to be perceived as intrusive and lacking legitimacy

The Scottish Government

But the contents are only set to infuriate Brussels which is about to publish its own strategy on how to deal with detractors.

The document called "Scotland's Agenda for EU Reform" does not take into account the nation isn't even a member of the bloc.

It clearly sets out how unhappy the Scottish government was with the failing administration.

And it seems to fly in the face of Ms Sturgeon's pro-Euro stance after her Government today won the opportunity to take the UK Government to court over Brexit.

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Ms Sturgeon is refusing to publish the costs of her trip to Europe to meet Mr Juncker

It states: "It has become clear that a substantial number of people throughout the territory of the EU have come to regard the EU institutions as remote from, and non-responsive to, their everyday lives and needs.

"It is important that the EU institutions and the Member States recognise and respond to the challenges to the EU’s wider legitimacy.

"Failure to do so will further fuel the voices challenging the EU’s basic legitimacy and damage its political and legislative credibility."

The document published online and with a foreword from Scottish minister Fiona Hyslop pulls no punches in its searing analysis.

It was authorised and approved by the government which at that time was led by Alex Salmond, who had Ms Sturgeon as his deputy.

The report rips apart the EU's reputation demanding the organisation make a number of improvements.

It declares: "We have identified a number of areas where EU competence could be exercised in a much improved fashion."

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Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon wanted the future of Scotland to rest in their hands

The document continues: "Arguably the most common criticism levelled against the EU is that it enacts unnecessary and burdensome legislation.

"Not only does this offend those citizens who are fearful of ‘competence creep’ on the part of the EU at the expense of national law-making, it is frequently associated with unnecessarily burdensome ‘red tape’ that serves only to undermine the competitiveness of European industry and damage greatly the prospects for our small and medium-sized enterprises.

"The Scottish Government believes that much more remains to be done to alleviate these concerns."

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